30% of Crew Members Who Died or Went Missing Last Year Were Foreigners... "Safety Measures Need to Be Explored"

Number of Foreign Crew Members Rose by 9.7%,
But Casualties Increased by 119%
Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Launches Task Force to Reduce Maritime Accident Casualties

Last year, among the 10 deaths and missing persons caused by fishing vessel accidents such as capsizing and sinking, 3 were foreign crew members.

According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' Central Maritime Safety Tribunal and the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives on the 14th, out of 118 deaths and missing persons caused by fishing vessel accidents last year, 35 (30%) were foreign crew members.

Foreign sailor who fell into the sea being urgently transported by Yeosu Coast Guard. Yeosu Coast Guard Station

The number of foreign crew members increased by more than 2,000 from 12,600 in 2018 to 14,819 last year due to factors such as the decrease in domestic crew manpower. However, as of last year, foreign crew members increased by 9.7% compared to 2019, but casualties increased by 118.8% during the same period.

During the sinking of the 135 Geumseongho off the coast of Jeju at the end of last year, two Indonesian crew members went missing. In the fishing vessel fire incident in Buan in February, five foreign crew members, including Indonesians, died or went missing. Last month, one Vietnamese crew member died in a collision involving a small fishing vessel in Busan.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is discussing measures to reduce casualties among foreign crew members through the "Maritime Accident Casualty Reduction Task Force (TF)."

Minister Kang Do-hyung of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries personally presided over the second TF meeting on the 9th. He ordered related departments to seek safety measures, including strengthening education for foreign crew members.

Minister Kang emphasized the importance of safety education, stating, "Most accidents occur due to minor negligence or failure to comply with safety regulations." The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries stated, "We are reviewing various measures, including mandatory education for foreign crew members." Currently, only shipowners, captains, and other senior crew members are required to undergo mandatory education at the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives.

For foreign crew members, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries operates the "Guidelines for the Operation of Foreign Crew Members on Fishing Vessels," which requires onboard training, Korean language, and fishery safety education after entry, according to the "Foreign Crew Management Guidelines."

As casualties among foreign crew members increased, the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives explained that it started safety education for foreign crew members in cooperation with the government in 2020 and plans to educate 4,000 people this year. The number of trainees increased about 12 times from 324 in 2020 to 3,908 last year. However, there is no basis to sanction management companies or foreign crew members for not following the guidelines and procedures.

A representative of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives said that experiential safety education is being conducted for foreign crew members who have little onboard experience and lack Korean language skills to improve their ability to respond to emergencies. He added, "If the government promotes measures such as mandatory safety education, we will actively consider expanding education accordingly."